Everyone, it's Space Hero Time!
by Green Phantom Queen
Summary: Sidestory to Horseshoes and Hand-grenades and Month of Sundays. After the battle in Kyoto and the weekend in Futo, no one is in the mood to fight again. Unfortunately, the residual Cosmic Energy left behind has gathered evil villains wanting to obtain this new energy. Enter Ben Tennyson, ready to fight old and new foes in an attempt to save Japan from total destruction.
1. Hello Goodbye

**Everyone, it's Space Hero Time!**

Author: Green Phantom Queen

Rated: T

Summary: That fateful three-day weekend where Humans, Serpents, Kamen Riders and Zodiarts ran loose has passed and a slow, almost mundane week is coming to a crawl. Unfortunately, the recent battles have caught the attention of many unsavory characters who would like to harness the Cosmic Energy that was left in the battlefield. Enter Ben Tennyson, who decides to go investigate the madness alongside his partner Rook, and also bringing in more trouble than absolutely necessary. Is it possible for Amanogawa High to contain the power of the savior of the universe? One should hope so.

Notes: Takes place after the Kyoto Arc and after the end of "Month of Sundays" and there shall be references to both stories. As for Ben 10: Omniverse, this story takes place after the two-parter "Frogs of War".

**I: Hello Goodbye**

"_Hello from above our magnificent planet Earth."_

_-Laurel Clark_

Life in Amanogawa High was supposed to be like any other High School in the world. There were the teachers who taught the lessons, the students sometimes being too bored to care about them, and the faculty making sure things ran smoothly.

Unfortunately, the past week at Amanogawa High could've been a contender for "Most Undesired Week in High School History" considering what transpired.

Mari Yamamoto was one of those students. She watched her homeroom teacher, Haruka Utsugi, take role call for the day with a look that screamed "I'm so tired." Just that past weekend, she and many other students of Amanogawa High journeyed to Futo, met up with other Kamen Riders, fought against other students who gained powers of ancient star monsters, traversed through a demented serpent's personal playground, and ended destroying an evil organization that went by the name of Foundation X. Most of that stuff couldn't have been possible in a month of sundays, but it happened (and it was an amazing story too).

She looked to her right, seeing Miura Toshiya, drawing in his notebook. She smiled—Miura was no longer bound to the cruel grip of the Horoscopes and can be his normal self. Well, as normal as one now called a 'Symbiosi Zodiarts' at any rate. This meant that Miura could actively call his powers as the second Aries Zodiarts without any ill side-effects (or at least, any that have been chroniclized, as of late). Miura wanted to do his best to stop the madness that he unintentionally created and to ensure that Mari was safe from harm. After all that Mari endured in order to free him, it was the least he could do.

Turning around, Mari also found Rumi Egawa hard at work, her vaulting pole resting against the window. Rumi's arm was still bandaged from sticking it in the fire to free everyone else, but thanks to Mari healing her, much of the damage was minimalized. However, it didn't affect the fact that the six Switchers vanished during that last battle. Wherever they were, no one knew.

"Yamamoto, Mari," said Haruka, calling out the photographer's name. Mari raised her hand to signal that she was there before lowering it. She didn't know what happened to her homeroom teacher that fateful Friday when Haruka hopped onto the DenLiner to Kyoto, but she did notice the katana hiding in its scabbard near her desk. Most likely, it was to ensure that if another attack happened at school, she would be ready to defend herself. Most of the school wasn't in the knowhow of what was going on, but Mari knew exactly what was going on:

First, Gentaro Kisaragi died by the hands of Ryusei Sakuta, but he was revived by a Serpent known as Ophiuchus. Ophiuchus planned on gathering other people to become vessels to serpents. Gentaro was Ophiuchus's Serpent-bearer because he was a descendant of Asclepius. Ryusei Sakuta had gone insane by some strange unconventional needs, and there was still no proof of whoever gave him the ability to become Kamen Rider Meteor in the first place.

Second, due to Ophiuchus's arrival, other Serpents have appeared making contracts with other humans. There had been five notified: Damballa, Rainbow Serpent, Quetzalcoatl, Vasuki and Renenutet. Each of them had their own alliance and reason to have Serpent-bearers, but none of them were working for Ophiuchus (As much as Mari knew),

Third was that the chairman of Amanogawa High, Mitsuaki Gamou, was the man behind the Zodiarts. He wanted to find the vessels to become the Horoscope Generals so that he could invoke the "Day of Awakening" if Mari recalled. Aside from Miura being Aries and the principle being the Sagittarius Zodiarts, there were also Virgo, Leo, Libra, Scorpio, Cancer, Aquarius and Gemini. This left only three other Horoscope Generals: Taurus, Capricorn and Pisces.

Fourth, anyone who was a former Zodiarts was forced to have Cosmic Energy injections (barring a few exceptions). Cosmic Energy, the energy that was responsible for creating both the Zodiarts and Kamen Rider Fourze, would then mutate them to bring forth their original Zodiarts powers. Six former Zodiarts—Jin, Ritsuko, Makise, Tamae, Nitta and Nonomura—were brainwashed to become foot soldiers for Gamou. Teruhiko was also one of them, but escaped before the mind control could be placed on him.

Fifth, the Kamen Rider Club, Gentaro's establishment of friends who worked on fighting the Zodiarts, had gained allies in the course of a few days. They had met up with Owner and his allies in the DenLiner and other students of Amanogawa were ready to become Kamen Riders. The group fought in the city of Kyoto, but they barely made a scratch on what was Ophiuchus's true plan. They were lucky enough to make it out alive.

Sixth, Mari's group, the Cosmic Hunting Dogs, was made to investigate the kidnapping of the previous Zodiarts that were taken to Futo. There, the Cosmic Hunting Dogs met up with other Kamen Riders—OOO, Wizard, Accel, Joker and Skull—alongside other allies willing to fight with them. They destroyed Foundation X, but they knew that the upcoming War of the Stars was about to commence.

Last but not least, the War of the Stars was a battle against the Serpents and what were presumably the original Horoscopes. Ophiuchus was once the thirteenth member of their council, but he was betrayed and the Horoscopes slaughtered many of the Serpents and Ouroboros was sent into hiding. Many of the Serpents fell to Earth and became many deities in mythology. Why the war happened was something that needed to be explained.

Mari sighed as Haruka began the lecture for today. That fateful weekend was long gone, and right now she had to be a normal student instead of the Serpent-bearer for the Rainbow Serpent. Still, she knew that this uneasy peace wasn't going to last long. The only question on her mind was, "What was going to happen next?" It was bad enough that she had to explain what happened to her to her own parents (who were flabbergasted and were just seconds away from sending her into a mental institution), but to get involved in another crisis so soon was suicide.

She looked at the clock ticking away the seconds before staring at the whiteboard. Right now, it was time for English.

**0-0-0-0-0-**

Yuki Jojima gazed out the window, hoping for the bright sunny sky to ease her aching soul. That dreadful weekend in Kyoto spiraled downhill for her, and to have every day at school with two of her former friends—Kengo Utahoshi and Ryusei Sakuta—made her feel even worse. Fortunately, both Kengo and Ryusei were too 'chivalrous' to attack her during school hours, but it still made her feel uneasy because she didn't know what they were planning.

She took a glance at Kengo, who began drumming his fingers. Having learned that Kengo was brainwashed by her own best friend, and also having a name known as Apep, was sickening. Kengo was her only friend in Amanogawa High before Gentaro came, and to lose someone like him made her feel sick to her stomach. That was why she told him back in Kyoto that she would kill him—because she could not prevent Gentaro's death, she wanted to end Kengo's suffering by her own hands.

Behind Kengo was Ryusei Sakuta, the one who started the whole mess. Ryusei must've had an innocent motive to revive his best friend, but the price to ensure that Jiro Inseki was healed brought upon every single problem that was going on. Yuki wanted to blame herself for not going to Gentaro in time (all she did was yell "Stop!"), but what would that do? The only thing that was possible now was to stop Ophiuchus and to kill Gentaro. To kill Gentaro was the last thing that she wanted to do, but what choice was there? If Ophiuchus was destroyed, Gentaro would be free and he could rest in the afterlife without worry about what he created.

"Jojima," said Chuta Ohsugi. "Jojima!"

"Yes, sensei!" said Yuki, staring at her homeroom teacher. She looked around nervously and added, "I'm s-sorry."

"Please pay more attention," said Ohsugi. "We don't want you failing classes, do we?"

_As if I don't have anything else to fail..._Yuki replied, staring at her left wrist. Branded on the back of her wrist was a Roman Number for 2 with curved lines on the top and bottom. This was a constant reminder that she was no longer human—she was now the Gemini Zodiarts, and therefore the enemy of the Kamen Rider Club. After having her own words being repeated ad infinitum by the likes of Misa Torizaki and Yukina Takamura, she knew that she had to fight back. She had to keep moving forward to ease the guilt in her conscience. That was all she had left now.

Resisting the urge to cry, Yuki forced herself to see her homeroom teacher beginning his lecture, trying her best to focus on the present. It was the most difficult challenge she ever had to face.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-**

In the city of Bellwood, there had been no time for rest after the recent alien invasion that just took place. People and aliens alike were rebuilding the roads and buildings that were obliterated by the Incursean Empire just weeks ago and the world had become a little bit quiet.

A little _too_ quiet for some people.

Ben Tennyson was currently at his favorite Mr. Smoothy, letting out a big sigh as he slammed the sixth smoothie he had finished for the day onto the table. With no aliens to fight, the past few days were slowly passing by. The Underground needed some more time to be rebuilt and he was already on Spring Break. While it was nice for Gwen and Kevin to visit every now and then, there was just something missing in his life—it was that spark of excitement that would make him jump to his feet and run off faster than you could say "It's Hero Time!" Where that spark was now, he couldn't figure it out.

"Things have been quite cheerful these past couple days." asked Rook. "It was as if the Incursean war never happened."

"I know," Ben replied glumly. "I almost wish for something exciting to happen right now. I mean, where's the bad guy coming around to say 'Ben Tennyson! Today you shall be defeated by my hands!' or 'The world shall be mine to rule!' Ugh, I feel like I'm getting too old for this."

"But you are only sixteen-years-old."

"I've been doing this heroing thing for the past six years, Rook." Ben pulled out his cellphone and began searching through something online. "And sometimes, I just expect things to come to me after all that's said and done. Yet...hmm, what's this?"

"Did you find something?"

"Check this out," Ben showed Rook his cellphone. On the screen was a forum titled "Giant Snakes Appearing in Broad Daylight: The Sign of the Apocalypse?"

"What is so special about a regular forum?" asked Rook. "People use it to talk to one another about matters important to them. I see no importance to this one."

"It's what they're discussing in this forum is what interests me," Ben answered, scrolling down his cellphone. "According to eyewitnesses, there's been strange extraterrestrial activity by these things called Serpents-"

"Snakes?"

"Well the forums stated that these Serpents are ancient beings from the stars. There's also information regarding an organization called Foundation X, and something called 'Kamen Riders'." A grin crept onto his lips. "Say Rook..."

"Oh no," said Rook, placing his hands in defense. "Magister Tennyson would not want you to leave Bellwood under short notice. What if another alien attack comes while we are away?"

"Nine times out of ten, the attacks are meant for me and not the city. They'll probably just find me in wherever we're at and we'll just kick their butts before calling in a Plumber ship to send them far, far away. Now," Ben clapped his hands and carried his smoothie cups into the trash. "Let's get going. We have no time to waste."

"If you say so," Rook replied, standing up. "I just hope everything is fine in Japan."

"It'll be fine. Japan's gone through tsunamis, earthquakes and the traditional giant lizard that rampages through Tokyo on a daily basis." Ben hopped into the truck and placed his seatbelt on. "I'm sure that everything is going to be better once I get on the scene."

**0-0-0-0-0**

At lunch time, Mari sat herself down with the other members of the Cosmic Hunting Dogs. Aside from herself, Miura and Rumi, there were also Abe, Taira, Ibuki, Jun and Teruhiko. The seven were quiet, trying to act as if they were amongst the multitude of normal high school students who didn't go on a two day trip to fight off against Zodiarts and deranged Serpents just one week ago.

"Mari-chan!" said Jun, seeing Mari sit down. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, if a bit exhausted," Mari replied, scooping a spoonful of curry rice into her mouth. "I can't imagine how Gentaro manages to fight back against those Zodiarts on a day-to-day basis."

"Technically it's not a day-to-day basis," said Teruhiko. "It just depends on whether or not the person giving those switches can find someone worthy enough to become a Zodiarts. Still, he does have to train and hone his fighting skills if he ever wants to ensure that the next time a Zodiarts comes to kick his ass, he'll kick theirs ten times as hard."

"And with what happened in Futo, we're going to need to train a hundred times as hard," Taira noted. He took a bite out of his _tonkatsu_ before speaking. "Unlike the Kamen Rider Club, we don't have those upgrades and power-ups that would help us in a pinch."

"Maybe we don't need all of that fancy stuff," said Ibuki. "Bruce Lee once stated, 'I don't fear the man who has mastered ten thousand kicks one time. I fear the man who has mastered _one_ kick ten thousand times.' We're pretty much fine the way we are."

"But there's also another saying," said Abe. "'Jack of all trades, master of none. 'Tis better than being a master of one.' We need to not only hone what we're good at, but we also need to work on other skills that could be used should we be ambushed once more."

"This is so frustrating!" Rumi groaned. "The fact that we had all of those Kamen Riders and other allies was the reason we actually are here right now. We can't even fight a Zodiarts head on, let alone one of those giant serpent things! What are we going to do?"

"Well, we always have one Kamen Rider and a serpent on standby," said Jun, rummaging into her bag. "Look at this!"

The Cosmic Hunting Dogs turned to see Jun pull out a piece of paper covered in smears of paint. Ibuki took it into his hands.

"Um, it's nice," he said. "But I highly doubt it's to the level that Motoyama usually makes."

"I didn't make it, though," said Jun. "Quetzie did. See? It's him, Ankh and I all holding hands under a pretty rainbow!"

The Cosmic Hunting Dogs peered closer. Above the figures was a large smeary rainbow and surrounding the paintings of Ankh, Quetzie and Jun were butterflies. Then, realization hit.

"Quetzie?!" Abe hissed. "You mean that serpent who tried to kidnap you and stuff your face with cake and tea like some demented Tea Party from _Alice in Wonderland_ or that giant feast with the Chess Queens in _Through the Looking Glass: And What Alice Found There? _What have you been hiding from us?"

"Well…" Jun darted her eyes back and forth. "I've sort of…adopted him and Ankh into the Shigeno family. My mom and older brother know what happened during that fateful weekend and they actually like the two around the house. In fact, my mom enrolled Quetzie into the Hoshinoko Elementary School under the name of 'Junji Shigeno' and Ankh currently goes by the name 'Taka Shigeno'. Cool, huh?"

"Jun," said Miura. "Those two are not like some abandoned puppy that you find in the rain. One is a serpent and another is some sort of golem-thing that isn't considered…human, in a sense."

"I had to take responsibility for what happened back then. It's the least I could do," Jun placed a strawberry lollipop into her mouth. "And after this, I need lots of baking soda toothpaste."

"Jun," Mari whispered. "Whatever happened there isn't your fault. Also, shouldn't your grudge over Miu be over soon? I mean, with all the stuff that happened in Kyoto, I'd be surprise that her cellphone survive all of that damage from the constant attacks."

"I just can't get myself to trust her again," Jun replied, stirring her drink with a straw. "We had so much information to give them and it would've helped her and the Kamen Rider Club out. Yet, every single time I want to talk, it's like Miu's about to be mauled or killed to death by Monster A or Demon B. On the bright side, Ankh's actually around campus and he's keeping an eye on any and all Zodiarts and Serpent sightings."

"Where is he?" asked Abe.

"Up in a tree with a bunch of those ice candies he likes so much!" Jun giggled. "He's got me on cellphone should anything happen and..." Her cellphone began to ring. She looked at the caller ID before placing it on speaker. "Hello?"

"Bad news," Ankh replied. "I got a psychic call from Quetzie and you're not going to like what's happened."

"What's going on?" asked Miura. "Zodiarts attack? Foundation X members?"

"It's fuzzy. All he's saying is 'some evil man in a mask wants to eat me!' He says that the masked man's at the Hoshinoko Elementary School building though, but I don't know how long this is going to last."

"We're on our way," said Rumi, picking up her vaulting pole. "Meet us at the front gates of the campus and we'll run to Hoshinoko posthaste."

"Tch. Don't be giving me orders just because I fight alongside you guys now."

"We wouldn't have it any other way," said Mari. "See you in a while."

"Whatever."

Jun hung up and grabbed her bag. "What's the plan?" she asked.

"Ibuki," said Mari, pulling out a notepad. "Prepare any of those smoke bombs you have and see if you can pin him down for the count. Teruhiko, you, Abe and Taira get on the offensive. Teruhiko, follow Ibuki's lead. Taira, wear him out with the axe. Abe, see if you can trap him. Rumi, you're with me in helping the kids out before getting back onto the field. Jun, get to Ankh and Quetzie's side and help them out. Miura, think you can knock the masked man's lights out?"

"Do you even have to ask?" said Miura, pulling back his left sleeve. Tattooed on the back of his wrist was the Astrological sign of Aries, the mark that made him a Symbiosi Zodiarts. "For you, Mari, I'll do anything."

"Let's go!" said Jun, tossing her lollipop to the trash. "We have no time to waste!"

**0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Quetzalcoatl, or Quetzie for short, shivered in fear. The day in Hoshinoko Elementary was exciting. The teacher was preparing a story about stars and serpents—which didn't have anything to do with the War of the Stars, but it was still something he wanted to hear about—when a man in purple and wearing an iron helmet burst in, wanting to 'eat him alive'. Why the masked man wanted to, Quetzie knew why...

It was to take his energies and to kill him, like what happened to his parents before.

Now the masked man had him held hostage, and the teacher and the other students were in the corner of the school, afraid to move a muscle or else the masked man would kill Quetzie on sight. Quetzie swallowed a lump in his throat, trying his hardest not to scream.

"Shh," said a small voice. Quetzie looked down at his coat pocket. A doll popped his head out, dressed in a black vest, purple shirt, and black fedora. "Everything will be all right."

"Shotaro Doll is right," said another voice. Quetzie turned to his other pocket and saw another doll pop out. This one had light brown hair, a black jacket and red shirt. "Jun and Ankh will come, and so will their friends."

"Be brave," said a third voice, popping from behind Quetzie's coat. This one had a rainbow-colored poncho and brown hair. "That is the spell your mother and father told you after all. And-"

"What is this?" said the masked man, lifting the dolls with an aura of black magic. Quetzie gasped as his beloved dolls were wiggling their arms and legs in a futile attempt to escape.

"Give them back!" Quetzie screamed. "They're mine! Grandpa gave them to me!"

"And what if I don't want to?" The masked man laughed. "I sense so much energy in these three. These shall be enough to fill my quota for energy. And then, my next step will be eating you alive! I, Darkstar, guarantee that!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!"

One of the windows shattered as Darkstar turned to see who appeared. He felt a boot kick him in the face, and he fell to the ground, his spell holding the dolls in mid-air causing them drop onto the ground. They were caught by a red clawed hand.

"Ankh!" Quetzie exclaimed, hugging Ankh's leg. "You came!"

"Yeah," Ankh replied, placing the dolls into Quetzie's hands. "I'm not the only one who came."

"What do you mean?"

"Ahem," said Ankh, clearing his throat. "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!"

Darkstar slowly sat up as a black egg fell toward his feet. In less than a second, the whole building was covered in smoke. When it cleared, Darkstar was met with an axe ready to cleave him in half. He blocked it with a well placed kick, but then had to attend with some sort of red powder blinding him in the face. As he staggered back, two long chains appeared, wrapping around his arms.

"Everyone!" said Rumi, entering through the broken window. She turned to the frightened teacher and students. "Come outside if you want to live!"

"That's such a clichéd line, Rumi!" said Abe, unsheathing his tanto blade. "But still, if it gets the job done..."

"Come on!" said Mari, opening the door. "We'll take care of you!"

"Everyone!" said the teacher to her students. "Let's go in an orderly fashion. Stay calm, little ones."

The young boys and girls followed their teacher's word as Mari nodded her head, glad that the plan was going smoothly. Teruhiko and Ibuki chained Darkstar's arms, while Taira and Abe prepared their weapons to knock him unconscious. Things were proceeding as planned. Unfortunately, the happy feeling vanished as Darkstar let out a powerful roar, knocking the four boys down to the ground.

"Ow," Taira noted simply.

"You fools," Darkstar snarled, standing up. His hands became wrapped in tendrils of dark energy as he lifted them both into the air. "Do you think a bunch of kiddy kids like you can stop me?"

"We stopped an evil organization from turning other 'kiddy kids' into aliens," Abe noted.

"We made an evil white serpent who likes turning people into dolls change his ways," Ibuki added.

"We fought said 'kiddy kids' when they had mutant powers," said Teruhiko. "And I did that without getting any sleep for more than _24 freaking hours_!"

"These kids can pretty much go toe to toe with you and they wouldn't even have to kill you," said Ankh. "I should know that first hand."

"We're more than a match for you," said Jun, placing a lollipop into her mouth. "You don't underestimate the Cosmic Hunting Dogs unless you want to suffer a humiliating defeat."

"The Cosmic Hunting Dogs?" Darkstar repeated. "AHAHAHA! That was so funny I forgot to laugh! And now, I think it's...it's time to..."

A cloud of golden dust surrounded his head, causing him to wobble back and forth. Darkstar looked up, seeing a boy with golden ram horns and a blue cape lined with wool draping his shoulders. In his hand was a scepter with a large rolling cylinder decorated with runes.

"Miura," said Mari. "How long do you think that sleeping spell will last?"

"Who knows?" Miura replied. "Hopefully, it'll be enough to AGH!"

Darkstar chuckled as he fired a beam of black magic that pinned the Aries Symbiosi to the wall. Tendrils of darkness began to absorb Miura's energy, causing Darkstar's aura to slowly glow gold.

"I sense this energy...it's so pure!" he said. "At last, I won't have to worry about a limited resource to feed on. This is what I need!"

"Mari!" said Rumi, entering the school building. "Everyone's safe. What do we do?"

"We fight," Mari replied. "Iris! I summon your power once more! Bind me to the Rainbow Serpent!"

Emerging from her back was a large red serpent who wrapped around her body, transforming her school uniform into a multicolored robe, and dyeing her hair white. Mari opened her eyes as a rain-stick emerged in her hands.

"Quetzie," said Ankh, pulling his jacket off to reveal a golden belt marked with the Eye of Horus. "Are you ready?"

"Ready!" Quetzie replied.

"I'm ready too," said Jun. She crossed her wrists over her face as the feathered bracelets on her arms transformed into a pair of ceremonial daggers. "Let's get this going."

Ankh pulled out a golden cartouche marked with an image of a falcon. He inserted it into the slot in the Eye of Horus while a golden falcon appeared on the back of his left hand.

"Henshin!" Ankh exclaimed, crossing his hands over the belt.

**Horus! King of the Gods!**

A golden glyph of the falcon materialized in front of Ankh before he stepped through it, his body covered in a suit of armor decorated with red and gold feathers. On top of the falcom-shaped helm was the crown of the Pharaohs—a large red wedge and white pear marked with a myriad of hieroglyphs. When he raised his hands into the air, a pair of large wings emerged from his back. In his hand was a kopesh sword.

"And who are you supposed to be?" asked Darkstar.

"Kamen Rider Helios," Ankh replied from his bird-like helm. "It's time for you to bow down to the power of the gods."

Miura slowly stood up, a hand close to his heart. He turned his gaze to Mari, as if to silently say "I'll be all right." Mari nodded her head and stared at the eyes of her fellow Cosmic Hunting Dogs. Their journey in Futo was over, but the war against evil had just begun.

"Everyone!" she exclaimed, pointing her rain-stick at Darkstar. "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!"

**0-0-0-0-0-**

"This is most peculiar," said Rook, looking at a device at hand. "I am picking up residual energy around this area."

"Really?" asked Ben, looking down from their spaceship. "I don't see anything."

"There is a humongous spike down in that small building," Rook pointed down below. "And I do not believe that is the only thing that is there."

"Well, I'm not going to wait if there's people in danger," said Ben, seeing a woman and many children outside. He pressed a button on the Omnitrix, seeing a ring of different alien forms for him to choose from. He unbuckled himself and opened the door. "Cover for me, Rook."

"Will do."

"It's Hero Time!" Ben replied, jumping off of the spaceship, slamming onto the Omnitrix. He was soon bathed in green light as he began to descend toward Earth.

* * *

**And so a glorious new chapter in this Horseshoes-grenade verse begins. Ben Tennyson begins to show Japan just what he's made of, but he won't be the only one involved in the ongoing battles of Serpents, Zodiarts and megalomaniacs going after power. Darkstar is going to be a taste of what is to come.**

**To be continued in, II-"Hungry Like the Wolf"**


	2. Hungry Like The Wolf

**Everyone, it's Space Hero Time!**

**II: Hungry Like The Wolf**

"_There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls."_

_-George Carlin_

"Jojima! Hey, Jojima!"

Yuki turned around to see Soushi Motoyama rushing toward her, a bag draped over his shoulder. She hadn't heard from him for quite some time, as he mostly was on the school rooftop painting his next masterpiece. However, she would sometimes hear him bicker to Momotaros, the Imagin currently bonded to him, about training vs painting and stuff like that.

"Oh, Motoyama-kun," said Yuki. "What's going on?"

"I can't find Abe and the glee club anywhere," Motoyama said. "PE is about to start and I don't think they want to get on Yamamoto-sensei's bad side."

"Yamamoto?"

"Daisuke Yamamoto. You know, Kamen Rider Amazon?"

"Ah..." Yuki quickly remembered that the legendary Kamen Riders Riderman and Amazon were posing as teachers for the rest of the semester, in an attempt to keep an eye on any strange serpent activity. Riderman was a Science teacher while Amazon decided to teach PE. Unfortunately, Amazon's classes were mostly about swinging back and forth and trying to wrestle one another while using dirty tactics like biting on your opponent's shoulder to win.

"It's strange too," Motoyama continued. "Usually, I would be seeing Abe coming to see how my art's going, but he's been quiet as of late. It's like he hasn't been getting enough sleep."

"Maybe he, Taira and Ibuki are working on some super secret project," Yuki theorized. "And he probably can't speak cause he's straining his vocal cords."

"That's a distinct possibly," Motoyama shrugged his shoulders. "Oh! I drew this for you!"

He pulled out his sketchbook and flipped it toward a page. "Like what you see?"

Yuki took the sketchbook into her hands and saw the drawing. It was her and a duplicate of herself, giving each other a high five. Red and blue cards rained down on the two, and both Yukis in the drawing wore a half mask. The background held the symbol for Gemini in black.

"It's...nice," she commented. "Although, I really don't want to remember that whole Gemini thing."

"I understand. Misa and Yukina weren't the nicest girls out there. Now come on," Motoyama placed his sketchbook back into his bag. "Let's get going. We need to prepare for the next attack on Amanogawa High."

"_Yeah..."_ Yuki glumly thought to herself, following Motoyama to PE.

**0-0-0-0-0-**

"Everyone!" said Mari. "It's time for Attack Pattern Baku Hatsu!"

"Roger!" said Rumi, saluting. "Basu Gasu Baku Hatsu is ahoy!"

She pressed her vaulting pole onto the ground before leaping up, giving Darkstar a powerful drop kick. Next up was Miura, striking Darkstar in the head with the Coppelius scepter hard enough for his helmet to move and obscure his vision.

"That was cheap!" Darkstar snarled, looking around. "What's next?"

"This," said Ibuki, dropping another black egg onto the ground. The building became covered in smoke once more. Darkstar growled, trying to find someone to kill as he positioned his mask so that he could see once more, but he was still unable to see through the smoke. Then, someone threw some red powder over his eyes. He screamed as he staggered back even more, making him easy pickings for whomever was next.

"Powder is so much fun when it's used for blinding people," Abe cackled. "What's step three?"

"This!" said Teruhiko, his body morphing to become his Hound Zodiarts form. A pair of wolf ears grew on his head, his arms and legs gained more muscle, and his nails were sharp talons. He spat out a large spike from his mouth before rushing toward Darkstar. He leapt forward and slammed the large spike deep into the helmet. Then, Taira was next, rushing toward the enemy, axe in hand.

"Dynamic Chop!" He exclaimed, bringing his axe into the air. Darkstar looked up and prepared two beams of black energy to kill the samurai. It was at that moment that a pair of daggers pinned him to the wall, immobilizing his hands. Taira brought the axe down on the spike, causing the helmet to crack.

"Here I go again!" said Abe, jumping into the air and pulling out a vial of black powder from his pocket. He dumped the contents into the crack in Darkstar's helm before dropping to his feet. "Who's up this time?"

"That's me!" said Kamen Rider Helios rushing toward Darkstar. Darkstar, having had enough of everyone playing tag with him, banished the fog with a clench of his fist and proceeded to deliver a powerful kick to Helios' stomach. Helios blocked a second kick with his sword as the two daggers holding Darkstar's arms in place began to levitate in mid-air, hurling them toward his target. Helios, rather than using his sword, decided to duck from the flight of the daggers and then giving Darkstar a powerful uppercut. Jun flipped in the air and caught the daggers in her hands. Needless to say, Darkstar was not amused in the slightest that these teenagers were defeating him so easily.

"So," said Mari, seeing Darkstar exhausted. "What do you think of us?"

"You are nothing more than complete imbeciles!" he roared. "Do you think you can defeat the likes of me? I am invincible!"

At that moment, a powerful howl was heard. Then, something crashed down from the school's rooftop, causing wood and plaster to fall and a cloud of dust settle. When the dust cleared, everyone could see a large dark blue wolf standing on two legs. It was wearing a green suit with a strange symbol of a green hourglass on its collar. Wrapped around its arms and legs were green wristbands.

"A puppy!" said Quetzie, his eyes wide with excitement. "It's so cute!"

"I'm not a puppy!" said the large wolf. "I'm…Benwolf!"

"….Seriously?" asked Taira, raising an eyebrow. "That's your name?"

"Seems pretty stupid if you ask me," said Miura. "It needs to be more…exciting!"

"If he had nunchucks, we could call him Gallon Talbain!" said Abe. "And he'd be all Bruce Lee and all that awesome stuff!"

"How about Holo?" asked Mari. "The symbol makes it look technological."

"Nah," said Teruhiko. "It sounds feminine."

"I know, I know!" said Jun. "I announce that Benwolf will be renamed as…Blitzwolfer!"

"Blitzwolfer?" asked Benwolf.

"Not bad!" said Ibuki. "He came in suddenly and he's a wolf…and with his powerful legs, he's pretty much able to kick all sorts of butt. So now…"

"Ahem!" said Helios, interrupting the pause in the fight. "Operation Baku Hatsu, anyone?"

"Oh, sorry," said Mari. "All right, next up it's…"

Darkstar roared as a wave of black energy caused the Cosmic Hunting Dogs to slam against the wall in pain. He then fired two orbs of magic toward the newly named Blitzwolfer, who jumped out of the way just as the orbs disintigrated against the wall. The large wolf growled as Darkstar began to approach him.

"So, Ben Tennyson, or Benwolf or Blitzwolfer or whatever you are now," he said. "I don't know what you're doing here, but I don't like it."

"I wanted to take some time away from Bellwood, and lo and behold, I find Tall, Dark and Gruesome scaring innocent children. Well," Blitzwolfer smirked. "Let's play fetch!"

Darkstar fired three orb of magic at the giant wolf, while Blitzwolfer soon opened his mouth, or rather his entire muzzle, and let out a large, piercing howl that caused Darkstar to fall onto his knees in pain. While distracted, Blitzwolfer began to slice through Darkstar's body with his powerful claws.

"I'm amazed to see you still alive after what happened with Charmcaster," said the proud wolf. "What's the matter? You couldn't get any energy from Bellwood and decided to go on a trip halfway across the world for something better? In case you haven't noticed, the energy Japan has is a bit…nuclear, so to speak."

"I'm not here for _that_ sort of energy. I'm here for the boy!"

Blitzwolfer looked around. There were five teenage boys, one elementary school boy, two teenage girls and some red winged armored man. "Which boy?" he asked.

"The one that reeks of energy!" Darkstar snapped. "I haven't seen a source so pure in ages! He will be mine!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" said Mari, standing up. "Teruhiko! Ibuki! Chain him down! Helios, prepare the Moon Knight cartouche! Miura, put him to sleep! And everyone else, you know what to do!"

Two chains wrapped around Darkstar's legs, tripping him up. Miura pointed his scepter once more at Darkstar, creating another cloud of golden mist to lull him to sleep. Darkstar tried to stand up, but he felt his face slam against the floor by Rumi's vaulting pole.

Meanwhile, Quetzie was nuzzling against Blitzwolfer's leg, giggling in delight. Blitzwolfer could only blink at the little boy who didn't show any signs of fear at the fact that his muzzle could split apart at all.

"Can I keep you?" Quetzie asked, eyes wide. "You're so cool!"

"Uh…" said Blitzwolfer, trying his best to shake the boy off of him. "I'm kind of in the middle of something. Go outside with the others, all right?"

"I need to stay with Ankh and Jun nee-chan, though! They need my help!"

"Darkstar is a dangerous person and he's willing to kill anyone for power. I don't want to be held responsible for your death."

"But…"

"Quetzie!" said Jun. "Come on! This is your turn to shine!"

"Yay!" Quetzie cried, snapping with his left hand. His pointer finger began to burn with a small fire and aimed it at the exposed crack on Darkstar's helmet. "Bye bye!"

He flicked the flame toward Darkstar. Blitzwolfer looked in confusion.

"Um," he said. "What exactly is supposed to happen?"

"The helmet explodes from the gunpowder placed inside and his head will probably explode," Rumi said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Nothing big."

"…What?!" Blitzwolfer screamed.

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

"Magister Tennyson," said Rook, trying his best to use the spaceship's communicator. "This is Rook Blonko, calling to tell you that…"

An explosion rocked the school building as a parade of police cars came onto the scene. A troupe of police officers appeared with shields in hand, ready for anything that could come out. Behind them was the teacher and students, all of them praying that the criminal would be brought to justice.

"Ben!" Rook exclaimed, preparing his proto-tool to rescue his partner. "Hold on!"

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

"Well…" said Blitzwolfer, seeing Darkstar's exposed face. "That could've gone better."

"Eww…" said Jun, seeing the face underneath the iron mask. Its skin was black and there was hardly any hair left on its head. There were bags underneath Darkstar's eyes to give him a skeletal look.

"Gross!" said Teruhiko. "He makes Tatsugami Mister Tall, Dark and Handsome!"

"You BASTARDS!" Darkstar screamed, grabbing onto the two halves of his mask. His eyes began to glow black. "You're going to pay for what you've done."

"Yeah, yeah, when have I not heard that before?" asked Blitzwolfer. He looked down on his neck, seeing the symbol beep three times. "Aw, man…"

In a burst of green light, he reverted into the form of a teenage boy with shaggy brown hair and bright green eyes, otherwise known as Ben Tennyson. Ben groaned and looked at the watch.

"Nice timing," he said. "How about deactivating when the world starts to crash around me?"

"Hmph," said Darkstar, punching Ibuki in the stomach and tossing Taira onto Teruhiko and Abe. He stood up and covered himself in a black aura. "So what if you know what I look like—you won't live long enough to tell anyone! And I'm starting with the boy!"

"Sorry," said Helios, placing his sword near Darkstar's neck. "The boy belongs to me."

Kamen Rider Helios pulled out another cartouche, this one stamped with a crescent moon. He placed it into the slot and crossed his hands over the Eye of Horus, whispering, "Deity Distortion!"

**Khonsu! Child of the Moon!**

A glowing crescent moon wrapped around his body, changing Helios's armor into a shade of black with silver tips. The helm was a bright green and the crown of the Pharaoh was replaced with a large white orb cradled by a yellow crescent underneath. The kopesh sword in his hand was now a large crescent blade etched with hieroglyphs.

"Who the heck is that?" asked Ben. Quetzie smiled.

"Kamen Rider Helios-Moon Guard!" he answered. "He's known to defend those dear to his heart from evil."

"And to eat the hearts of the wicked," Helios chuckled. "Perhaps I should have an ice candy heart after this, gushing with cherry punch to replicate blood."

"Eh!" said Jun. "That's a good idea! Although, I'm wondering how the punch can retain its liquid form if the ice candy is in solid form."

"Guys," said Mari. "Everyone except Helios, Quetzie, Miura and I leave right now. We're taking up space just standing here."

"Right," said Abe, looking at the window. He grimaced as he saw the multitude of police cars swarming the front. "Looks like we've got some 'splaning to do, anyways."

"Good luck, everyone," said Ibuki, waving good bye. "Try not to die."

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?" asked Ben.

"We'll tell you soon enough," said Rumi, escaping through the window.

"Provided you have the brain of an elephant to remember it," said Teruhiko, with a laugh.

"Here Quetzie," said Jun, handing Quetzie her daggers. "Use them well."

"Will do," Quetzie placed a kiss on Jun's cheek. "Take care!"

"Hey!" said Ben, being dragged away by Jun. "Don't tug me so hard! I can walk out of here myself!"

"At least we didn't start the fire around here," Taira noted, seeing the mess of the Hoshinoko Elementary School. "Hope Gamou doesn't mind paying for damages though."

**0-0-0-0-0-**

"Ben!" cried Rook, seeing his partner escape the school building. Following him were six teenagers, wielding different types of weapons. "Ben, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Rook," Ben replied, panting for breath. "Although I'm sort of wondering what type of protection Japan has against Darkstar."

"Darkstar?"

"Long story."

"Excuse me," said one of the police officers. They held up their badge to the group. "Officer Rinko Daimon here. I need you to come with us and explain what was going on in there."

"Can we at least get some excuse to explain why none of us are going to class today?" said Abe. "I mean, we didn't do anything wrong."

"Excuse me, miss," said Rook, pulling out something from his pocket. It was a badge with a green hourglass and a black triangle from each side. "Do you recognize this symbol?"

"What the heck is this?" asked Rinko, taking the badge into her hands. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"Rook, only government officials know about the Plumbers," Ben hissed.

"Police officers are government officials, correct?" Rook replied. "Maybe she is new to the job."

"I heard that!" Rinko snapped. "Now, what's really going on?"

"Well..." Rumi began. She then looked past Rinko to see a familiar face. "Ah! Officer Izumi! You're here!"

"Yo!" said Shingo Izumi, approaching the six Cosmic Hunting Dogs. "What's happening here?"

"Hello, Officer Izumi," said Rook, bowing to the male police officer. "Do you know anything about this?"

Shingo took the badge into his hands and expected it for a few seconds. He then took a glance at the Cosmic Hunting Dogs and asked, "How are they doing inside?"

"Well, aside from cracking open a helmet with gunpowder and a spark of fire, not to mention us having fun giving a giant wolf a new nickname, I say they're doing fine," said Taira. "How's everything on your end, though?"

"Hina's working hard on some new clothes, Chiyoko's her same old self and Kougami's happily announcing that he's got some big plans for the remodeling of the—"

"AHEM!" said Rinko, clearing her throat. "Can _anyone_ tell me what's going on?"

"We can, Officer," said Ben. "But, this might take a long time to explain..."

"It would seem so, Plumbers," said Shingo. "I heard the rumors about the legendary Ben Tennyson—never thought he'd team up with the Cosmic Hunting Dogs."

"Cosmic Hunting Dogs?" Ben repeated. "You mean those crazy teens trying to make someone's head explode?"

"It worked with that giant Hydra Zodiarts," said Abe. "Remember, guys? I think we blew up four of its heads or something."

"Zodiarts?" asked Rook.

"Long, long story," said Jun. "Listen, um..."

"I'm Ben Tennyson," said Ben, extending his hand out. "And my partner here is Rook Blonko."

"Right. Ben and Rook...you might want to sit down for a while. This tale is going to be very long."

**0-0-0-0-0-**

Quetzie looked at the daggers in his hand and held them in the air. He took a deep breath as a pair of red and green wings grew from his back.

"Dearest mother and father," he said. "Grant me my powers now. I, Quetzalcoatl of the Feathered Serpents, call out my true form in your mighty names!"

Thunder and lightning boomed as Quetzie's school uniform became replaced with an orange tunic with red and green stripes. A green headband with red triangles and bright feathers wrapped around his head. His wrists and ankles were decorated with scraps of fabric decorated with snakes. His eyes began to glow a deep shade of green as he pointed a dagger toward Darkstar.

"Oh," Darkstar chuckled. "You just became more delicious, little one."

"Eww..." said Miura. "That was totally unnecessary."

"We can think about how creepy that is later," said Mari. "Ready everyone?"

"You don't even have to ask," said Helios. "The real fight starts now!"

Darkstar jumped into the air and fired three beams of black energy. Helios blocked two with his crescent blade while another went for Quetzie. Mari pointed her rain-stick at the young serpent, creating a barrier that shielded him from the blow. Quetzie nodded his head and jumped onto one of the tables. He jumped toward Darkstar and tossed his daggers toward Darkstar's eyes. Darkstar's eyes began to glow black as the daggers were just a centimeter away from blinding him permanently. He then pointed a finger toward Miura and the daggers sang through the air toward him.

"Oh come on!" said Miura, batting the daggers away with the Coppelius scepter. The daggers flew back into Quetzie's hands. "That's not even fair!"

"Says the sheep man, the armored freak, the albino ghost and the energy spike," Darkstar grunted. "I'm just evening the playing field."

"What are you supposed to be anyway?" asked Helios, swiping his blade toward Darkstar. "Some sort of energy vampire that sparkles in the daylight?"

"I thought vampires couldn't stay out in the daylight," Quetzie noted.

"They usually don't," said Mari. "But there's one group of vampires who have this one exception."

"You're telling me," Miura noted, charging toward Darkstar. "Now, if I can just seal some of his powers...maybe we can get something done here."

"No," said Darkstar, grabbing onto the Coppelius scepter. "I think I'll be taking something of yours!"

Miura screamed as he felt energy escaping his body once more. No, it wasn't just energy—it was if his own life was being taken from him. Mari snarled at the thought of losing her boyfriend once more to the forces of evil.

"Get away from him!" she screamed, hurling the rain-stick at Darkstar's face. Darkstar was distracted as the rain-stick hit his head. At the same time, Miura dropped to his knees and the rain-stick began to glow in a black aura.

"Are you all right, Miura?" asked Mari.

"What hasn't killed me, makes me stronger," said Miura, slowly getting up. "Although, I might be needing some food after this."

Mari smiled and hugged her boyfriend before she looked at her rain-stick draining Darkstar of more energy. Eventually, the rain-stick dropped onto the ground, the beads inside making the sound of a rain. Darkstar dropped onto his knees, panting for breath.

"What have you done to me?" he whispered. "That energy..."

"_Simple." _The Rainbow Serpent whispered in Mari's ear. _"I have a unique ability to absorb Cosmic Energy from different beings. It was the opposite of the Zodiarts of the Ram who could seal the Cosmic Energy for a short time. Your love for the sheep brought it out. Be lucky for that."_

"Looks like the tides have changed," said Helios. He pulled out the cartouche from the Eye of Horus and placed it in the eye. "I think it's time to put an end to this. Ready Quetzie?"

"Ready!" said Quetzie.

Helios rose into the air as the moon headpiece begna to glow. He raised his hands into the air and his crescent blade began to glow.

**God Smasher! Lunar Bomb!**

"Eat this!" Helios exclaimed, making his body spin like a buzzsaw toward Darkstar. Darkstar was soon knocked back into the wall, a large gash appearing from his shoulder all the way down to his hip. Quetzie then brought his daggers into the air, lightning striking them both.

"Bye then," he giggled, piercing Darkstar's heart with his blades. "Sweet dreams!"

Mari and Miura covered their ears as they heard Darkstar scream before, after what seemed like an eternity, he fell unconscious. No one spoke for a few seconds.

"Is he dead?" asked Miura.

"Quetzie gave enough to knock him out cold," said Helios, puling the cartouche out of his belt. His armor eroded into sand as Ankh reappeared. "He won't be sucking up energy for quite some time."

"We did it," said Mari, seeing her clothes turn back to normal. "Japan is safe...for now."

"But we're still in trouble," said Ankh. "If this 'Darkstar' appeared then that means there are more psychopaths that will be coming for Quetzie, the other Serpents and just Japan in general for the Cosmic Energy floating about."

"What do we do about it?" asked Quetzie, seeing his outfit fade away.

"First off, let's get Darkstar into a nice, quiet cell," said Mari. "Then, we'll just play it by ear. That's how we went through that weekend."

**0-0-0-0-0**

"And that's everything!" said Jun, panting for breath. "That's everything you two have to know about what's going on!"

At the police station not far from the Elementary School, Ben nearly dropped the smoothie in his hand after seeing the giant white board behind the six Cosmic Hunting Dog members. The white board had different names, images and arrows pointing back and forth making it resemble some sort of demented football plan rather than an explanation to what was happening. Riook was writing down lots of notes, Rinko looked confused, but Shingo just nodded his head.

"Excuse me," said Rook, raising his hand. "I do not mean to offend you in anyway, but..."

"But what, cat boy?" asked Teruhiko. "Do you know the hell I had to go through in two days by Foundation X? I was awake for _three whole days_ because of them! I was so dead tired that I couldn't even think straight! My dad was going to have a cow!"

"How is that even-"

"SHUT UP!" Teruhiko growled, grinding his teeth. "This whole event has exhausted us, and you have to believe everything we're telling you! Gentaro Kisaragi is going to unleash Ouroboros once three more Zodiarts can be found, and who knows what type of hell he'll bring! People have been killed and resurrected not by their own will and souls are being devoured at a deadly pace! So I suggest you just listen good, you two. I don't care if you two are 'Plumbers', but if you make the Cosmic Hunting Dogs mad, we'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth!" He panted for breath and sat down.

"Are you all better now?" asked Rumi, stroking Teruhiko's hair. "Good boy."

"This is still most unusual," said Rook. "However, if what you are saying is true-"

"Which it is," Taira noted.

"Then there is no time to waste. Ben and I shall help in whatever we can."

"Really?"

"What are heroes for?" Ben said with a smile. He brought a hand out. "Partners?"

"Definitely," said Abe. The two shook hands, then Abe gripped it before making both of their hands into fists. He then tapped Ben's fist from above, belove and then finished it with a regular fist bump.

"Wow," said Ben. "For a minute, I thought we were in some sort of secret club."

"Eh, sort of," said Ibuki. "You see, the handshake originated from-"

"Stop, stop!" Ben interrupted. "I'm going through the big convoluted plot behind you. I don't need anymore information now."

There was a knock on the interrogation room. The door opened, revealing Mari, Miura, Quetzie and Ankh, the four exhausted but otherwise not dead.

"More people?" Rinko exclaimed. "Ugh, this is not my day! If I have to hear anymore stories, my head will spin!"

"It's better to hear information from the source than from somewhere second-hand," said Mari. "A good friend of ours told us that."

"Speaking of which," said Shingo. "How's Yayoi doing? I hope she's recovering from that whole Haruto doll situation."

"I hope so," said Miura. "You really can't blame her for that big breakdown."

Ankh sat himself down, placing his feet on the table. He exchanged a silence glance with Shingo before staring back at Jun with a smirk.

"Where's Darkstar?" said Ben, looking around the interrogation room. "What happened to him?"

"We chucked him to a nice, solid cell where he'll slowly rot," Ankh answered. "Now...what's next on the agenda?"

The sound of a cellphone caught everyone's attention. Teruhiko pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and gulped. Pressing a button and setting it on speaker, he said, "Hello?"

"TERUHIKO!" screamed the voice of Teruhiko's father, Takashi Satake. "Where did you go?"

"Dad," Teruhiko began. "Um, there was an incident at Hoshinoko Elementary and someone wanted to eat a child for power and..."

"Get back to classes now before I give you and _all_ of the Cosmic Hunting Dogs detention for the rest of the semester! And that means you too, Ankh! I thought you wouldn't go back to killing yourself fighting against evil monsters!"

"Well, sometimes promises have to be broken, dad." said Teruhiko. "We'll see you soon, bye!"

"Wait, don't hang up on-" Teruhiko ended the conversation and sighed. Quetzie looked in confusion.

"What's detention?" he asked.

"Let's just say that everyone won't be going to the park with you for a while if they don't get back to Amanogawa," said Shingo. "Come on, everyone. I'll take you guys back."

"Hold on," said Ben, standing up. "Rook and I are official Hunting Dogs, right? Well, we want to enroll in Amanogawa and help you guys out."

"Really?" asked Abe. "But aren't you some superhero back at home? Won't anyone miss you?"

"It has been quiet as of late," said Rook. "Plus, if Darkstar has arrived, who knows what will happen next? It is safe to say that Ben and I shall stay here for quite some time."

"Neat!" said Mari. "But, in order for you to be authentic, take this."

She handed Rook a train pass marked with four bars of color on the side.

"A train pass?" asked Ben. "What'll that do?"

"Go to any door when the time is all the same and step inside," said Miura, standing up. "Keep walking down the path until a large train comes in and a woman named Naomi tells you to come in. Just say you're helping the cause, and things should go by very smoothly."

"Well," said Ankh, standing up. "This has been quite boring. Let's get back to Amanogawa and try to live one more day longer."

"Wait, just a moment!" said Rinko. "You can't leave now! What exactly happened at the building?"

"Can't talk right now," said Shingo, leading the Cosmic Hunting Dogs out of the room. "I promise to explain later. Sorry!"

"SHINGO!" Rinko yelled, chasing after the male police officer. She slammed the door behind her as Ben and Rook looked at the train pass in hand. Above the whiteboard was a clock that currently read: 1:59:23. In about three minutes, they could try the pass out to see if it works.

"Well," said Rook. "It seems as following the forum posts was the correct thing to do, Ben. Our services are going to be needed for quite some time."

"There's still something bugging me," said Ben. "The fact that Darkstar is here means that some other baddies are coming after us." He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "I just hope we don't see anyone from my past coming to haunt me for a while."

**0-0-0-0-0-**

"I'm here!" said Yayoi, entering the Antique Shop Omokagedo. She saw no sign of Wajima or Koyomi at all, so she assumed that they were probably getting groceries for tonight's dinner. She removed her shoes and looked around. "Haruto, are you—"

Yayoi dropped her bag in shock as she saw Haruto on the couch, being kissed by a woman with long white hair and a pink dress. Judging by the pink glow in Haruto's eyes, this could only mean one thing...the white haired girl brainwashed Haruto Souma, and Yayoi wasn't going to take it.

"YOU!" Yayoi screamed at the strange sorceress. "What is your name, and why are you here?!"

The white-haired stranger broke the kiss, leaving Haruto in a daze and a goofy grin on his face.

"Me?" said the white witch. She stood up and summoned a staff into her hands. "The name is Charmcaster, and I'm here because I found your little boyfriend to be quite interesting."

"No," Yayoi narrowed her eyes. "That's a lie. You came here for something more, haven't you?"

"How perceptive. In truth, I came when I found about a powerful energy source that recently came to notice. That, and-" Charmcaster placed a kiss on Haruto's cheek. "I found him to be so cute."

"You are going to pay for brainwashing Haruto!" Yayoi screamed, pulling out a card from her pocket. "Four of Swords, come to me!"

Four swords hovered around Yayoi: a green scimitar, a blue rapier, a gold wakizashi, and a red sabre. Yayoi took the rapier into her hand and pointed it at Charmcaster. Charmcaster narrowed her eyes and her hands became incased with pink energy.

"It's been a long time since I fought another girl," she noted. "Will you be enough of a challenge for me?"

"Depends," said Yayoi. "Will you give me a full explanation as to why you're here when you lose?"

"Perhaps. And if I win, you become my handmaiden back in Ledgerdomain. Is that a deal?"

"Deal's a deal no matter what one says," Yayoi smirked. "Let's play."

The two charged toward each other, their respective weapons ready to slice someone into pieces.

* * *

**Next time: Ben and Rook meet the eccentric crew of the DenLiner while Yayoi takes on her biggest challenge in the ruler of Ledgerdomain, Charmcaster. The Cosmic Hunting Dogs take a well deserved break, but the Kamen Rider Club soon meet up with a girl who isn't as human as she appears to be.**

**To be continued in, III- "Do you believe in magic?"**


	3. Do You Believe in Magic

**Everyone, it's Space Hero Time!**

**III: Do You Believe in Magic**

"_Believe you can and you're halfway there."_

_-Theodore Roosevelt_

_In the realm of Ledgerdomain, Charmcaster surveyed the land with a look of sorrow in her eyes. The past seven years of her life were filled with nothing but pain and misery. No matter what she did, it all ended up in failure. All she wanted to do was help her fellow magicians and revive her father, but every single time something good happened, something wicked had to come to balance it out. _

_Life, in short of a better term, sucked._

_She couldn't even find someone to confess these feelings to. After having her heart crushed by Darkstar—who couldn't even get her own **name **__right—what was left for her now? Day by day, sitting on her throne, Charmcaster worked on improving herself in anyway she can. Whether it was reading through the mystical tomes of the Grand Library, or even just doing her best to interact with the other survivors, this was what would make things right again, she told hereslf._

_But there was still an ache in her heart that begged for freedom. She had to get away from here. She needed to leave Ledgerdomain for a place that could give her something to ease her wounded soul, even for a short amount of time._

_One day, while browsing through one of the tomes in hand, Charmcaster's eyes widened on a chapter that read "Rings of Power: Harnessing power through Rings of Mana". With a curious look in her eyes, she began to read its passage._

"_Rings were considered, at one point, to be a catalyst of great power. Mana would sometimes crystalize into a gem that with the right abilities, and plenty of patience, a gem-crafter would eventually create a ring that could have different abilities depending on the gem itself. The most legendary of magicians was simply known as the 'Ringed Wizard' who once destroyed a brigade of monsters known as Phantoms. By his side was a Sword Meister whose blades were essential to his magic. They helped slay the Hydra during a time of crisis, bringing a temporary peace into the land."_

_With interest to see this supposed magician, Charmcaster prepared some supplies before heading out to the place where the supposed Ringed Wizard stayed. Sensing his magical aura, she created a door connecting Earth to Ledgerdomain before disappearing without a trace._

**0-0-0-0-0-**

Yayoi Tokuda had no idea who this 'Charmcaster' was, but she knew one thing. She had to win and save Haruto from whatever happened to him. She barely saved him from Damballa's cruel tricks just a few days ago, and she knew that sheer luck wouldn't be enough to claim victory this time.

With the golden wakizashi in hand, Yayoi jumped into the air, preparing to slice through whatever magical attack Charmcaster could whip out. Charmcaster raised her staff into the air in response. Rising from beneath the ground were six humanoid figures all made out of clay with glowing pink eyes. Yayoi's blade sliced through one with ease.

"Interesting," said Charmcaster. "Tell me, where did you get those swords?"

"They were made by my failure in saving Haruto," Yayoi answered, swapping the wakizashi for the blue rapier. "They were enchanted to give me the strength of the four elements, and I'm going to use them to protect him! I'm never going to let anyone use him as a puppet ever again!"

"Why is he so important to you? Are you in love with him?"

"N-no!" Yayoi stuttered, ducking a punch from a golem. She stabbed the tip of the rapier in another golem's chest, encasing the mud monster in ice. "He saved me from being used as some sort of guinea pig and gave me a place to stay as I tried to find information on..." She grabbed onto the green scimitar and made a wide slash, producing a crescent blade of wind that sliced two golems in half. "And what did I give him? Death! He was revived by an evil serpent and transformed into some child's demented plaything!" She swapped the rapier for the red sabre wrapped in a plume of fire. "I had to fight tooth and nail to free him because he would've killed me in the end, just like how he destroyed the Phantoms!" The last two golems had their heads sliced clean off. "I got him involved with the War of the Stars, and I can never forgive myself for that."

"Interesting," said Charmcaster. "Your swordsmanship is up to pass, but how do you fare in a magic duel?"

With a wave of her hand, Charmcaster summoned a barrage of pink orbs. Yayoi raised her own hands into the air as her swords circled in front of her to suck the orbs into a whirlwind of magic. The orbs fired back at their original caster, who jumped out of the way in time. Charmcaster levitated into the air before flying toward Yayoi, causing the two to crash out of a window and onto the ground. Yayoi gritted her teeth, hoping that she wasn't bleeding from the broken glass and began to reach for one of her swords. Charmcaster noticed this, and stomped on Yayoi's wrists with her boots.

"Oh dear," she chuckled. "Can't be a good swordsman without your hands, can you? It looks like I won this little match."

"No, you haven't," Yayo hissed, clenching her fists. "I won't let you win!"

The swords began to hover in the air once more, heading toward their target. Charmcaster took a glance as she saw the blades coming in from all sides. She smirked as she surrounded herself in a pink dome, causing the swords to bounce off and clatter onto the ground. She then turned her gaze at Yayoi, who was trying to sit up. Charmcaster knocked her down with a blast of magic to the chest.

"What can you possibly do to me?" Charmcaster asked coolly. "You don't have enough fighting or magic prowess to go one-on-one, and you clearly don't have any tricks hidden up your sleeves. It looks like you're going to lose."

"I can't..." Yayoi replied. "I need to win, for Haruto's sake! I have to win, for JK's sake! I have to win, or else Ophiuchus will! The world will be destroyed if he and his Serpent-bearer resurrect Ouroboros!"

"...Did you say Ophiuchus?" Charmcaster slowly removed her feet from Yayoi's wrist and helped Yayoi stand up. "You mentioned a War of the Stars, did you not?"

"Of course I did," Yayoi raised her hands in the air. The four swords hovered around her before reverting to a Four of Swords card. "Why do you ask?"

"I heard about a legendary serpent that went by that name. Has he returned?"

"Yes," Yayoi answered, pocketing the tarot card. "And there are other Serpents that have appeared, making contracts with people who died. All I know is that there was a big war that caused those former Serpents to descend to Earth and become the deities in many of Earth's ancient civilizations." She sighed. "If you can come inside, I can explain everything to you. However, you have to promise me a few things."

"And what would that be?"

"First off," Yayoi looked through the broken window. She saw Haruto dozing off peacefully with that pink glow in his eyes and clenched her fist. "I want you to undo whatever you did to Haruto. Second, you're going to have to tell me more about yourself. Third, and last but not least..."

"What?" asked Charmcaster, raising an eyebrow.

Yayoi curled her hands into fists as she stared into the spellcaster's eyes.

"Could you...train me in the art of magic?" she asked.

**0-0-0-0-0-**

"This...is most triumphant!" said Ben, seeing the desert around them. "I can't believe that this actually exists!"

"I cannot find anything in the database regarding this pass or the area at all," said Rook. "It feels like we are walking in some other dimension."

A loud train whistle echoed through the empty desert. Ben and Rook turned, seeing a large train traveling toward them. Peering through the windows were five interesting creatures of different colors: red, blue, gold, purple and white.

"Those two aren't beautiful women," said the blue one. "But they'll suffice."

"Look at those two!" said the purple one, pulling out some crayons and a piece of paper. "I'm drawing them right now!"

"Hmph!" The yellow one cracked his neck by pushing it with his fist. "Let's see if their strength can make me cry! I'll-" He soon fell asleep with a snore.

"Perhaps we are meeting with some princes in a foreign land?" said the white one. "They do look strange in their outfits..."

"I don't care who they are," said the red one. "If they're going to be like those sneaky serpents-"

"We are here to combat against those 'sneaky serpents'," Rook explained. "We are newcomers to the Cosmic Hunting Dogs."

"Did you say Cosmic Hunting Dogs?" said a woman with a clipboard in hand, shoving the red monster aside. She opened the window and beckoned Rook and Ben to enter the already stopped train. "Come inside! Quickly!"

Ben and Rook nodded their heads as they entered the train. Ben had been on a few trains when he was younger, but none of them compared to being on a train seeing with five different colored monsters scrambling about. A young girl pushed them out of the dining cart before leaving with them, as to give Ben and Rook some privacy.

"According to my database," said Rook, scrolling through the communicator in hand. "I believe that those were the creatures called...'Imagins'. The person who is the conductor of this train is the man known as 'Owner'."

"'Owner'?" Ben repeated. "What type of a goofy name is that? Seems like the kind of name you find on a lunatic's dossier."

"I do hope you mean that in a kind way, Mister Tennyson."

Ben turned around, seeing a man in late 40's in a black suite and red tie, walking toward him with a cane in hand. The man had a gentle smile on his face...but something deep in Ben's mind told him that he held some sort of innate power.

"Welcome to the DenLiner," said the man. "As your friend said, I am the one known as Owner. I hope that you shall be treated well here."

"Thank you for inviting us to ride in your train, Owner," said Rook. "We have just learned about the threat of the Serpents and about the War of the Stars, but there is something bugging me."

"And what would that be?"

"I cannot find traces of a such war ever recorded. There are no forums, books, or blogs that talk about an intergalactic battle of that scale. I have looked through some of the best web sites regarding this war and there is nothing that tells of an Ophiuchus at all. Are you sure that a war of such a grand scale even happened?"

"Many records of the story have been lost to the sands of time," Owner began, motioning Ben and Rook to sit down. The woman with the clipboard, who had a nametag on her blouse that read 'Naomi', placed three plates of fried rice for Owner and the two guests. Owner took the spoon in his hand as he continued to talk. "Even though the DenLiner can travel back in time-"

"This whole train can travel back in time?!" Ben interrupted. "Wow! I mean, I know of Professor Paradox and his time-traveling treks through space, but this!" He stretched his arms. "You can travel through time with this thing?"

"We need a specific date in order to go back in time," Owner explained. "And most notes regarding the War were probably created prior to the establishment of a calendar system. We have been obtaining information from a few close friends of ours."

"That would be one Yayoi Tokuda," said Rook, going through his notes. "She is the one who first found discovered the origins of Ophiuchus and the War of the Stars, aside from a loud and eccentric CEO who calls himself Kousei Kougami. Correct?

"Yes," Owner began to eat his fried rice in silence. Once he swallowed, he added, "And all that we can conclude is that this is based on the original Zodiac."

"You mean Aries, Taurus, Virgo and all that?" asked Ben. "The things you see in daily horoscopes?"

"Correct. However, there is a man that is trying to harness their power in order to create the 'Day of Awakening'. If this plan is successful, all of Japan shall be doomed."

"And if it's stopped?"

"That depends on how it is stopped," Owner narrowed his eyes. "If we stop him, then the world is saved. If Ophiuchus gets his way, then he shall resurrect King Ouroboros."

"And what happens if King Ouroboros is resurrected?" asked Rook.

"The world, and everyone in it would die," Owner answered grimly. "The Serpents would win, and they would create the world in their own image to satisfy their wicked desires."

**0-0-0-0-0-0-**

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"

That was what Takashi Satake screamed at the Cosmic Hunting Dogs in his office. Teruhiko shrinked in his chair while everyone else kept silent. Quetzie was in Ankh's lap, holding his dolls in his hands.

"Dad," Teruhiko began. "What we were supposed to do? That Darkstar was going to attack innocent civilians—many of them being little kids! After what we did on the weekend, do you think we were going to sit back as something enacted terrorism?"

"The police wouldn't be able to do anything about it," said Ibuki. "He had black energy blasts and he had some sort of prune-like face on him. He was some sort of vampiric leech-thing."

"I wasn't going to let Quetzie die!" Jun exclaimed, slamming her hand on the desk. "I made a vow to his parents that I would protect him! I'm not going back on it!"

"I know, I know," said Takashi, sighing. "I just don't want you kids hurt. I had no idea what was going on when you split up and were going through who knows what. I had my own problems after surviving a flour dust explosion in the DenLiner to immobilize Sonada and Kijima and then hear that my son was running for his life! Don't you know how freaked out I am?"

"Calm down, sensei," said Mari. "We understand your anger, but you also have to understand that we have a commitment to help the world now. We stopped Foundation X, we have Kamen Riders on our side, we've got a powerful organization backing us-"

"And the Kamen Rider Club," Taira added. "You can't forget Mr. Birthday and all of his wonderful, magical cakes."

"Who all believe that we can change the world," Mari finished. "I mean," She placed her hand over Miura's. "Just by going there, we saved Miura from Gamou's evil plans. We helped Quetzie reunite with his parents, gave Akiko the confidence to take her father's place as Kamen Rider Skull and so much more. We accomplished so much in under two days."

"Please have faith in us," said Abe. "We're a small, rag-tag unskilled bunch, but we can do something. Isn't that right, everyone?"

Everyone nodded their heads, but Takashi shook his own.

"I still don't know about this," he said. "I almost lost an eye in that battle, and who knows what else I could've lost? When I signed up to be a teacher in this school, the last thing I was expecting was me fighting for my life against members of the administration who were turning students into monsters!"

"Old man," said Ankh. "The kids are going to do fine. Stop beating yourself up about what happened back there. There were too many factors to consider, but they took care of it all by themselves. I just came to clean up the mess at the end."

"Well," Takashi removed his glasses and began to wipe them clean with a silk cloth. "The Cosmic Hunting Dogs are going to be attracting lots of attention from now on. I won't be able to stop all of it, but that doesn't mean I won't ban you all from not fighting back. Just do me one small favor,"

"And what's that?" asked Mari.

Takashi smiled as he adjusted his glasses. Everyone else kept silent, waiting for whatever he was going to say next.

"Bring me in for your next battle," he said. "I'll be sure to knock someone's lights out for you."

"Promise," said Rumi. "Now, we best get back to classes. I have some track-and-field to prepare for."

"Same with me," said Jun, standing up. "I have a new routine in my head, and I'm going to bring my 'brothers' along for the ride."

"Eh!" said Quetzie, standing up. "Can we get ice cream after this? Please?"

"Sure!" Jun lifted Quetzie into the air and hugged him. "Then we can probably stop by the Cous Coussier and see how everyone's doing...provided that Shingo has finished his giant, long-winded explanation to Rinko-san."

"Yay!" Quetzie returned the hug with a big smile on his face. "I love you Jun nee-chan!"

As the Cosmic Hunting Dogs began to file out, Ankh stayed behind and turned his gaze to the detention Greeed sat down and ran a clawed finger through his hair.

"Those kids are doing fine on their own," he began. "They understand the consequences on leaping into action, and they're fine with that. It's your job to lead them, or else you can't call yourself a teacher, can you?

"I suppose not," Takashi sighed. "Why are you acting so...close, Ankh? I wouldn't expect someone like you to get attached to a bunch of kids."

"I'm not part of their goody-two-shoes gang, if that's what you mean. I'm observing them to see whether or not they truly have the desire to fight till the bitter end. They're going to be in for the fight of their lives, and they're just teenagers with basic fighting skills. Against a more formidable opponent, they'd be lucky if the opponent showed a shred of mercy."

"You're right," said Takashi. "I just can't help but worry—my son was separated from me and got involved in so much. I was powerless to save him. I would do anything to turn back time and to stop Foundation X from kidnapping him in the first place."

"We can never go back to the past, but we can always look for a better future," said Ankh. He stood up. "I have to get going. Jun probably wants me to keep a close eye for any and all threats in the school."

"I won't keep her waiting," said Takashi. "Do what you need to do, Ankh."

"Tch," Ankh smirked as he left the office, closing the door behind him. When he was gone, Takashi looked at the picture frame on his desk, seeing a young Teruhiko smiling back at him. He was so close in losing Teruhiko for good, and he knew that he had to step up against the people responsible for the madness.

For one Takashi Satake, life was going to get more and more difficult. However, he believed that things would work out in the end.

**0-0-0-0-0**

Norio Eguchi closed his locker and let out a long sigh. He couldn't put his mind into his work when all he could recall was the long, hectic, weekend back at in Kyoto. It was bad enough that Gentaro caused Misa Torizaki to die, but Misa couldn't be saved. At this point, letting her die was the best thing that could happen to her.

"_Death is never the answer—but sometimes, it might just be the only answer."_

Tomoko's declaration after everyone made it to the DenLiner only proved that they had to kill people in order to save the world. The only thing that frightened Norio the most was whether or not he actually had the courage to do so. He was a hero, and heroes defeat evil by sending them to jail, not by killing them. The fact that he'd be responsible for someone's own death frightened him. Norio Eguchi was first and foremost _not_ a killer.

He took a glance at some of the other Amanogawa High students in the area. He recognized many of them as followers of Misa's Ugly Ducklings cult. No one had the courage to man up on following Misa's orders in pinning him down, and he had to wonder whether Misa manipulated them or they were just too scared to actually rebel against her. He'd never know the truth now that the original Misa was long gone.

"Oi, Norio," Norio turned around to see Ban Chosuke approaching him. "How are you doing?"

"I'm still a bit sore from Kyoto, but I'll live," Norio answered. "You?"

"My ego's been slightly bruised by the principal, and that stupid son of a bitch, Ryusei," Chosuke replied. "Aside from that, I'm fine. How are you doing regarding..."

"I'm fine," said Norio. "I just...don't want to believe everything I learned about Misa. I want to help her-"

"Isn't that Stockholme Syndrome, though? I mean, she captured you and forced you to transform into the very thing she idolized, and she didn't care that you could've stayed in a coma while your Hyde-self roamed in that Zodiarts' body forever. That's just messed up."

"I know it is," Norio slammed his fist against the locker. "Yet, heroes help those who are in trouble. Misa's one of those people—she has to go through so much hatred for that little mistake, and her parents don't even know that their daughter is a walking, talking corpse now...not that it won't matter to them, seeing as how Misa could probably kill them in cold blood." He turned around and slid onto the ground, arms crossed over his knees. "It's like I'm powerless to stop this tragedy."

"If you think you're powerless, you become powerless," said Chosuke, sitting next to Norio. "You have to believe that you can overcome this. You have a strong will to fight the temptations to become a Zodiarts against yourself. Heck, if I was given a Switch, I'd become a Zodiarts hands down. You willed yourself to fight against that dark side of yours! Be proud."

"Thanks," Norio smiled and the two students enacted Gentaro's handshake of friendship. "You know, you're definitely more observant than I thought you'd be,"

"I just had some advice from a good friend of mine," Chosuke answered back. "Now come on. It's almost time to meet up with Haruka-sensei at her kickboxing club. We need to stay in tip-top shape if we want to keep fighting against the forces of evil."

Norio nodded his head as he rose to his knees. The most important thing right now was to be strong enough to fight back against the darkness, and doing so with a friend made it ten times easier. To him, it felt so weird to have this kinship with Chosuke after having to lose the 'friendships' forged by being the Ugly Ducklings cult. Yet at the same time, it was a good feeling. It meant that he wasn't alone in the ongoing struggle against Gentaro and Ophiuchus. It meant that he could be strong because there was someone with him.

"I'll call Motoyama and tell him to get ready," said Chosuke, pulling up his cellphone. "I'm sure he doesn't want to miss fighting lessons for the day."

"Yeah," Norio responded. "Maybe he can do Color Martial Arts against the Dustards."

"'Color Martial Arts?'"

"He'd get some paint balls or some powdered dye and throw them at the Dustards' faces before beating them up. After all, who would want to fight against monsters who wear nothing but black all day?"

Chosuke just laughed as the two walked toward kickboxing class, relieving themselves of the struggles they endured just days ago.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-**

With classes over for the day, Yuki changed out of her PE uniform and quickly buttoned her blouse. Making sure the Gemini symbol was hidden underneath her sleeve, she left the girl's locker room and prepared to walk home. There were no Kamen Rider Club meetings for the rest of week so that everyone could recover from the ordeal that was Kyoto. After everything that went down, Yuki couldn't blame the group not wanting to meet up. Having learned so much, and yet very little, from those two days, it worried Yuki that the chances to stop Gentaro were very slim.

"Excuse me," said a voice. "Can you help me out with something?"

Yuki stopped walking and turned around. Standing behind her was a teenage girl with olive skin and black hair that went to her shoulders. She was dressed in a simple black blouse, skirt, and flats.

"Um, yes," Yuki answered, keeping her eyes on the strange girl that materialized out of nowhere. "What do you need?"

"I am a...transfer student from Bellwood." the girl replied. "May I ask for your name?"

"Yuki, Yuki Jojima," Yuki replied. "What's your name?"

"My name?" The new girl smiled softly. "My name is Elena Valadis."

* * *

**Next time: While Yuki gets to know Elena a bit more, Shun and Miu try to spend some time together, the Futo Police learn exactly what happened on that fateful weekend, and the Cous Coussier gets some unusual guests.**

**To be continued in, IV-"Metal Heart"**


	4. Metal Heart

**Everyone, it's Space Hero Time!**

**IV: Metal Heart**

"_The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched—they must be felt with the heart."_

_-Helen Keller_

Erin Suda and Tomoko Nozama were sitting underneath a large plum blossom tree when Yuki approached them. Yuki quickly introduced the two to her new friend, Elena Valadis, and the four began to chat amongst one another.

"So you're from Bellwood?" asked Erin. "I've heard of that place. It's the home of the famous Ben Tennyson, right?"

"That's correct," said Elena. "I actually knew him when we were both 13, before my father and I had to move from Bellwood. My father was working on extensive research on nanochips."

"Valadis, huh?" asked Tomoko, searching through her Ipad. "I never heard of such research until now."

"It was kept top secret," Elena explained, shifting her eyes back and forth. Yuki took a notice of this and placed a finger on her left wrist, as if checking her pulse. "My father didn't want anyone to steal his research until it was 100% accurate."

"That makes sense," said Erin. "Do you also do research on them?"

"Of a sort. What about you? What do you want to do?"

"Yuki and I want to go to space. It's been our childhood dream to go there and interact with other forms of life. I bet Ben went through lots of exciting adventures fighting against evil aliens and meeting new and interesting faces."

"He has," said Elena. "Say, who is that?"

She pointed to a person staring at them at the distance. Yuki swallowed the lump in her throat. It was Kengo Utahoshi. Kengo just sneered at them before walking off.

"That was Kengo," she answered. "The two of us used to be good friends, but now...now we're not."

"And why not?" asked Elena. "What happened to you?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Yuki explained. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Was it over him seeing another girl? Is he in some secret relationship?"

Tomoko and Erin shared a glance at each other, not wanting to explain the 'love affair' that Kengo was currently going through. The last thing the otaku needed, aside from having Cosmic Energy injected into her system and her best friends brainwashed, was to know who Kengo was currently snogging. The less she knew, the better.

"Well, I don't know, but he just won't talk to me anymore," Yuki placed her head in her hands. "I don't know what to do..."

"Do you want me to sort this out for you?" asked Elena, placing a hand on Yuki's shoulder.

"No, I...I need to powder my nose," Yuki began to walk to the bathroom. "I'll be right back."

She waved her left hand into the air as she walked off to the lockers. Once she could no longer be seen, Yuki whispered, "Fumika?"

One of the lockers opened, and out popped a doppleganger of Yuki with a bright grin on her face. She began to jump up and down in excitement.

"What do you need me to do, Yuki nee-chan?" asked Fumika. "Are we going to prank someone with water balloons filled with baking powder?"

"Not this time," Yuki replied, turning around. "Can you keep an eye out on that Elena Valadis for me?"

"What for?" asked Fumika, tilting her head. "Aren't you glad that you have a new friend to talk to?"

"I'm glad, but there's a couple of reasons why I can't open up to her. First off, she made me open up wounds regarding Kengo-"

"Ouch."

"Second, there's something so...alien about her," Yuki shook her head. "I just might be paranoid after what happened in Kyoto, but can you watch her for me? Just tell Tomoko and Erin that I needed to do a little 'touch-up'. That's all."

"Roger!" said Fumika, saluting Yuki. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to practice my gymnastics," Yuki answered. "I'm not in the mood for space at this time, and some physical activity could do me some good. I'll use the link if I sense something wrong."

"Take care!" said Fumika, waving her right hand into the air. Yuki waved her left hand in response as she walked away.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-**

A gentle breeze blew across the city of Futo. The fateful weekend had passed, and the streets were filled with the citizens being happy. Foundation X had been defeated, Gamou's plans had been halted for now, and the problem involving the Serpents, Switchers and a quirky band of High School Students settled into a mutual agreement.

Unfortunately, this all came with a terrible price regarding the Narumi Detective Agency and its employees. Akiko Narumi-Terui, the new Kamen Rider Skull, was currently at the gym, kicking a giant punching bag with all of her might. The past few days were nothing short of hell for her due to the events that happened on that weekend. The more she thought about it, the more rage she felt in her heart and the more she wanted to punch something into oblivion. She should've been there at the start...she could've _prevented_ Philip's brainwashing and Shotaro's death. That's what she kept telling herself, even if she knew deep down that she shouldn't blame herself for the whole tragedy. That's why she was here—to prevent another tragedy from happening again.

The sound of her cellphone beeping caught her attention. Akiko walked to her duffel bag and picked up her cellphone, groaning at what she was seeing.

_Aki-chan...I'm bored~! Can you come and get me something sugary sweet to eat~? I also want some company, or at least some cases to solve~! Can you please-"_

Akiko deleted the text message before reading everything else and pocketed her cellphone. This was the 200th text message in the past 3 hours—was it really necessary to bombard her with this many?

She sighed as she walked to the showers, dressed out of her sweaty gym clothes and turned the showers on. Feeling the chilly water against her sweaty body made her relax, but she knew that this time of peace was only temporary. In due time, she was going to get a phone call regarding a murder, kidnapping, or whatever type of villainous act and she had to go to the Narumi Detective agency to talk to Shotaro about it.

Five seconds later, she heard a call from her cellphone. What perfect timing.

Turning the faucet off, and wrapping herself in a clean towel, Akiko took her cellphone into her hand and said, "Hello?"

"Ah, Akiko!" said a familiar voice. "So nice to see you."

"Oh, Jinno-san!" Akiko replied. "It's so good to see you! How was your trip to Hokkaido?"

"Fine, if a bit quiet," Jinno replied. "Makura and I got word from Shingo-san about your exploits in Futo, and I also want to see how Shotaro's doing. You wouldn't mind, right?"

"Um," This was going to be hard to explain. How could Akiko simply say it to the old man? "Shotaro's a giant mannequin with nails for teeth and gain contract with a Voodoo Serpent while you were away. Oh, and did I mention that Philip's brainwashed and was the one who killed Shotaro?" She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "If you want to do so, please be understanding when you and Makki-san get there."

"It's MAKURA!" cried Makura as if he was standing next to Jinno.

"Yeah, yeah," Akiko replied. "Just meet me at the Detective Agency and whatever you do, _do not_ open the door until I get there. Trust me on this."

"Whatever you say, Akiko. Bye then."

Akiko hung up and slammed her fist against the tile wall. This was going to be a long afternoon from the looks of it.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Miu Kazashiro usually didn't mind dates. She just didn't like how boys were so overly polite with her, while she just wanted to be casual with them. It annoyed her that they have to put on a cheery facade just for her, when being chill was just enough.

However, she found herself in this same position as she and Shun entered the Cous Coussier. She and Shun hadn't dated in months—what with the Kamen Rider Club, college applications and Zodiarts attacks—but this would be the first date she would have with a different Shun Daimonji. Shun was quiet throughout the drive to the restaurant, even as they sat themselves down. Miu read about the Cous Coussier's eccentric host constantly changing the theme every single day, and today was no exception. Apparently, she had fallen in love with William Shakespeare, and the restaurant reflected England in the late 1500's.

"Welcome!" said Chiyoko, dressed as a bard. She began to pluck a few notes on her lute as she took Miu and Shun to a table. "I'll get a waiter to take care of you in just a few minutes, so sit back and relax."

"Thank you," said Miu. She looked down at the table and then asked, "Why are there no utensils or napkins?"

"Back in Shakespeare's day, the tablecloths were the napkins and they ate with their hands. I wanted to the dining experience to be authentic as possible, so go crazy with the cloth if you have to."

"Er, thank you, ma'am."

Chiyoko nodded her head as she skipped back into the kitchen. Miu sighed as she turned her gaze back at Shun. She couldn't tell what Shun was thinking, and she was afraid as to what was in store for them. As long as Vasuki had that contract, Shun's time with her was limited. Once Ophiuchus and Gentaro were defeated, then Shun would leave everyone on Earth to destroy it when its time has come to pass.

"Shun," Miu began, placing her hands into his. "About that contract..."

"I already told you everything about it," Shun interrupted. "It's paid in full, and I can't get out of it."

"But that doesn't mean you can act just like before!" Miu exclaimed. "Don't you understand that you're hurting everyone by keeping all of this pain and suffering to yourself? We're your friends-"

"I know," Shun squeezed Miu's hands. "And I hate it. If I wasn't feeling so emotional, then the pain in my heart wouldn't be here. I know that I made a bad choice, but I couldn't do anything in the end. I failed in protecting you, Miu...Vasuki gave me a chance to redeem myself."

"But you're going to live to be billions of years old and we'll never you see again. _I'll_ never see you again, and I..." Miu swallowed a lump in her throat. "I had so many plans for us."

"I did too..." Shun closed his eyes as tears fell down his cheek. "I did too, Miu."

"Um, excuse me?"

Shun and Miu turned to see their waiter. He had short brown hair and was dressed in a red tunic and brown breeches. He handed a couple of menus to Shun and Miu, all with a big smile on his face.

"Good day to you all," he said. "My name is Eiji Hino, and I'll be your server today. What can I get for you?"

"Let's see," said Miu, opening the menu. "I'll try your Rosewater Mead, non-alcoholic, and my partner wants milk."

"Okay," Eiji clapped his hands and bowed. "Coming right up, milady."

As Eiji walked off, Miu took a glance at Shun, wondering what he was feeling right now. If she was hurting just by knowing about his sacrifice, what exactly was _he_ feeling for even making the contract in the first place? This was a life-changing decision that was going to have a horrible price, but did it really help that it was for the greater good?

No. Because it was for the greater good, it only made Shun Daimonji feel worse about himself. Even though not a lot of people would know of his sacrifice, it didn't mean that he couldn't feel the pain of making the choice in the first place.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Akiko made it to the Narumi Detective Agency just as she saw a police car park in front of the same building. She saw both Jinno and Makura exiting, knowing that she couldn't go back now on her plan.

"Good afternoon, Jinno-san, Makki-kun," Akiko replied. Just as Makura was about to protest about his nickname being used, she continued. "I just want to tell you that whatever you're facing is not like what happened with the Dopants and all of this. This is going to be more...different."

"How so?" asked Jinno.

"It's better if I explain it to you." Akiko went to the door of the agency and knocked on it twice. "Shotaro, it's me! Let me in."

"Akiko~!" A voice exclaimed. "You're here~! Did you bring what I WANTED?"

"Yeah, it's in here." Akiko pulled out a white box of donuts from her bag. "A dozen sugar topped donuts from the Hungary Donut Shop. Now will you-"

"HIDARI!" Makura interrupted, pressing his face against one of the windows. "Where are you? Open up, right now!"

Jinno dragged Makura away by clamping onto the younger man's shirt with his backscratcher. Akiko sighed as she knocked on the door once more.

"Shotaro!" she shouted. "Let us in now, or I will knocked that door open! You have until the count of 3! 1...2..."

The door opened. Standing in front of Akiko, was Philip. No, it couldn't have been Philip. What stood in front of Akiko was a mannequin in Philip's likeness.

"You..." Akiko gasped. "No...you're...you can't be here..."

"But I am," said the doll, bowing toward the surprised girl. "Call me 'Karakuri Philip' for now. That is what the Serpent-bearer of Damballa calls me."

"Can't I just call you 'Philip'?"

"I'm not the real Philip though, and you know that, Akiko-sama."

Akiko felt shivers fall down her spine. The voice was exactly like the real Philip's, except it was so...empty and lifeless. Then again, that was to be expected—the being in front of her was a doll, not a human.

"Come inside, everyone," Karakuri Philip continued, taking the box of donuts into his hands. "Sit down, and I shall prepare coffee for everyone."

Akiko nodded her head and motioned for Jinno and Makura to follow her. She took a deep breath as she entered, seeing leftover items from Shotaro's 'Carnival of Madness' act just days ago. There were the large puppet strings that hung Eiji and Haruto's bodies before they began their duels. Then, there were the stains of blood from when Shotaro stabbed Ankh's eyes out. There was the broken window and the phonograph playing its creepy music, along side the paper streams of green, purple and yellow hanging loosely. Apparently, Shotaro had no time to clean up the mess he made.

"Very interesting décor," said Jinno. "It has an old haunted carnival look to it."

"W-what is this?" asked Makura, looking around. "Akiko, explain yourself!"

Akiko stayed silent as she pulled out her green slipper from her jacket pocket. She didn't want to transform yet—she needed to know what Shotaro wanted to do.

"Shotaro!" she announced. "Show yourself! This isn't funny!"

"Oh, but it is~!" a voice cackled. "And what took you so long, Aki-chan? I texted you and texted you and TEXTED YOU over and over again. Were you on a shopping date with Queen and Elizabeth? Did you have some delicious RAMEN with Santa-chan and Watchman? Oh! Maybe you were watching Fuuuuutic Idol to see if Jimmy IMPROVED on his singing!"

"I was at the gym, and you know that!" Akiko replied. "You didn't have to spam 200+ messages in 3 hours!"

"I didn't, but I wanted to!" Akiko felt the aura in the building darken, and she felt her heart beat against her chest. She took a glance at Karakuri Philip, who had returned with four mugs filled with coffee, a few teaspoons, a small pitcher of cream, and a pyramid of sugar cubes on a china plate. Akiko took a better look at the Karakuri. It was dressed in clothes that Philip would wear—a long vest, a striped shirt, a pair of black pants, and there were the binder-clips in his hair to keep the bangs away from his face—but it didn't look like him at all. His face was smooth, with blush on his cheeks and there were no scars or blemishes in sight. His eyes were made out of glass. His mouth looked painted on. His movements were robotic. Akiko was seeing some sort of effigy in her old friend's likeness, and she hated it.

"Now, now," Shotaro cackled. "Let's all have some nice coffee and donuts. Don't you agree?"

Jinno and Makura sat down, but Akiko still stood. She heard the floorboards creak with each step as she concentrated on what happened during those two days. She had to watch Shotaro become a shadow of his former self, and she couldn't do anything about it. And should Damballa ever decide to claim the contract null and void, Shotaro's soul belonged to him, and the body would become lifeless. That was the last thing she needed.

"Aw," said a voice. "You're crying, aren't you Aki-chan?" Akiko gasped as she felt a finger brush away a tear. "I won't allow ANYONE in my precious city of Futo to cry. So that's why..."

Akiko turned around and saw that she was face to face with Shotaro. Still brandishing her slipper, her first reaction was to slap him across the face.

"OW!" said Shotaro, hand on his cheek. "That hurt, you know that?"

"Hidari!" said Makura. "What are...you..."

Makura fell silent as he saw Shotaro. Shotaro's body was made out of wood, and there were two black holes where his eyes should be. He was dressed just like Shotaro would—a striped shirt, vest, tie, black pants and fedora—but he could also see the stitches around his forehead and neck, the arcane symbols carved around his face, and that his teeth were two rows of pointy nails.

"Oh, Shotaro," said Jinno, seeing the hard-boiled detective. "How are you today?"

"BORED as ever," Shotaro replied, adjusting the fedora on his head. "I've been locked here for THREE WHOLE DAYS as if I was your ordinary VILLAIN. That's not right."

"And...why have you been locked up in the agency building?"

"It was for our master's own good," said Karakuri Philip, tossing five sugar cubes into a mug of coffee. He stirred the coffee around, the teaspoon clanking against the sides of the mug as he continued. "Akiko-sama and Ryu-sama said that he could not step outside until it was time. They said that the public would not 'appreciate' his sacrifice."

"Ah..."

"Oooh, DONUTS!" Shotaro exclaimed, taking a donut into his hand. "It's so full of SUGAR and it's so SWEET and so YUM! You know just what I want, Aki-chan!"

"You can thank Haruto for the recommendation," Akiko replied, sitting down. She took a mug of coffee into her hands and took a small sip. "Mmm, not bad. Did you brew this?"

"If I did, I would've added more POTENT stuff to make it so much better!" Shotaro giggled, taking a deep bite out of the donut. "No, Karakuri Philip made it."

"Oh," Akiko looked into the mannequin's eyes and said. "Thank you."

"The pleasure is mine, Akiko-sama," Karakuri Philip stopped stirring the coffee. "Now, why have the esteemed members of the Futo Police Department come to visit?"

"We heard about the attacks by Foundation X from Officer Shingo Izumi," Jinno explained. He poured some cream into his coffee and swirled it around with his own teaspoon. "I also wanted to see how you were doing, Shotaro. You've changed, haven't you?"

"Of course he's changed!" Makura exclaimed, standing up. "Can't you see that he's some sort of...some sort of...EVIL doll thing? What the hell happened while we were away?"

"Well," Akiko began, but Shotaro placed a hand over her mouth, his eyes filled with insane glee as to what he was about to say next.

"It is a tale of TRAGEDY and of HORROR, Makki," Shotaro began. Just as Makura was about to correct the fact that his name was Makura, Shotaro placed a finger on his lips to shush him. "It was about DEATH and BLOOD and LAUGHTER~! Laughter is what you need in your life right now, Makura..." Shotaro's grin grew wider as he randomly spat out a nail. It hit a bull's-eye on the dartboard nailed to the wall. "I shall tell you the story that will make you DIE LAUGHING and then...and then..."

Makura's whole body began to tremble, and it looked like Jinno was about to attack Shotaro with the back-scratcher in his hand. Akiko gulped, afraid of what Shotaro would do next...

"AHAHAHAHAHAAH!" Shotaro laughed, dropping to his knees. "HEHEHEHEHE AHAHAHA! Oh, that was so good~! I needed so much laughter to cheer me up after being BORED the entire day! Laughter is such good MEDICINE, isn't it? Especially for one who has been BORED to DEATH for the past FOUR DAYS! IHIHIHIHI! "

"That wasn't funny!" Makura screamed. "Shotaro, what's going on here?"

"Hold on...hahaha..." Shotaro cackled. "I...hehehe...need to...HAHAHAHA!"

He rolled across the floor, his laughter echoing across the agency. Jinno and Makura glanced at Akiko who tooki another sip of the coffee.

"I best explain from the beginning," she said. "You see, it all started just an hour before I made it to the agency last Saturday..."

**0-0-0-0-0-0-**

"Here's your food," said Eiji, serving Miu and Shun their food. "If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."

Miu nodded her head as she saw what they had ordered. There was a small pot of leek soup, some roast turkey with sausage stuffing, a few loaves of freshly baked bread and a bowl of stewed pumpkin. She took a piece of pumpkin into her hands and ate it, watching how Shun tore a chunk of bread from a loaf and dunked it into the leek soup. Once the two had their first bits of food, they began to speak once more.

"Does it taste good?" asked Miu.

"It does," Shun replied, scooping some stuffing into his hands. "Thank you for doing this, Miu. I really appreciate it."

"It's fine. I just want to make sure you're happy."

"I am now," Shun gave his famous two-fingered salute in reply. "And you?"

"I might as well live for the moment," Miu replied, wiping her fingers with the edge of the tablecloth. "I'm having a good time too. I just hope nothing could ruin our-"

The sound of a boulder crashing through a window caught her attention. Through a hole in the wall stepped three figures dressed in black. One was a woman with orange hair that extended out as if they were alive. Another was a giant, wielding a hammer and from his forehead grew a large fingernail. The third had four strands of hair on his head and wore a mask that covered his mouth, his eyes darting around like crazy.

"Hello," said Chiyoko, approaching the three new strangers. "Welcome to the Cous Coussier. How can I serve you today?"

"Are you the owner of this restaurant?" asked the giant with the hammer.

"Yes, I am," Chiyoko beamed. "May I get some names?"

"Frightwig," said the woman. "The hunk to my left is Thumbskull, and Acidbreath makes up the rear."

"Oh, such lovely names! Why have you come here today?"

"We're here because we want something to eat," said Frightwig, narrowing her eyes. "So give us the best meal we've ever had, and _maybe_, we don't beat you to death."

"Really?" Chiyoko tilted her head and placed her arms behind her back. "Well, I have one simple policy for all customers that come to my little restaurant."

"What's that?"

"The policy is that I don't allow ANYONE to kill off my loyal customers!"

Chiyoko pulled out a meat cleaver from behind and tossed it toward the woman. The happy-go-lucky look on her face shifted to one of seriousness as she kicked Frightwig aside. Thumbskull brought his hammer down, but Chiyoko blocked it with another cleaver in hand. However, she was still powerless against the giant, and vulnerable for what Acidbreath was preparing to do next.

"Oops!" said Miu. "Looks like we've got some more suspicious people here."

"We better stop them before they start wrecking the place," said Shun, cracking his knuckles. "Sucks that our meal plan had to be interrupted."

"It was going to have to end eventually," Miu sighed. "Might as well burn it off by bashing people's heads in."

Shun nodded his head as he tossed one of the loaves of bread at Acidbreath. It hid him across the face, followed by Miu arriving and kicking him in the stomach.

"Well," said Miu. "Who would've thought that Circus McGurkis was in town? Mind if Shun and I get front row seats to the action?"

"Very funny," Frightwig spat out. "I hope you're still laughing when we beat you to a pulp."

"That's not happening today," said Shun. "I assure you that things are gonna play out quite differently."

"Eh!" said Chiyoko, seeing Shun and Miu by her side. "You're pretty good at fighting! Tell you what, if you help me kick these three out of the restaurant, your meal is on the house!"

"Oops!" Miu exclaimed. "What a good deal!"

"I know, right? Now," Chiyoko stepped back as Thumbskull prepared to slam his hammer on her head once more. "I could use a little help here!"

Thumbskull brought his hammer into the air before bringing it down, only to be stopped by a woman dressed in blue and white, her hands pressed against the face of the hammer. She then grabbed onto the hammer and lifted Thumbskull into the air, shaking him off until she was the one wielding the hammer.

"Thank you, Hina," said Chiyoko. "And now, if the lovely knight would be so kind..."

**Taka! Tora! Batta! **

**Ta-To-Ba! Ta-To-Ba! TaToBa!**

A figure in black armor jumped from behind the kitchen, with a hawk-like helm, giant yellow claws and green insect-like legs. On his chest was a large circle depicting a red hawk, a yellow tiger and a green grasshopper going from top to bottom.

"You!" said Shun. "You're that Kamen Rider from before when Gentaro was fighting Foundation X!"

"Kamen Rider OOO," said the figure. "Just keeping the peace."

"That's not fair, is it?" asked Thumbskull. "There's five of you!"

"But they're weaker than us," said Acidbreath, ripping out the mask covering his mouth, exposing a few rotten teeth. "Like so..."

Acidbreath took a deep breath before exhaling at a table next to him. The table began to corrode in front of everyone's eyes.

"EH!" Chiyoko exclaimed. "I worked hard on getting that table just right! Now you're going to pay!"

"Let's make this quick," said Miu. "I want to eat while my food is still warm."

"Attack!" cried Frightwig, as she, Thumbskull and Acidbreath prepared for their full frontal assault.

* * *

**Next time: While a brawl happens in the Cous Coussier, JK struggles with the past that he has tried to hide, Yuki interacts with Jun with a bit of cheerleading practice, the teachers of Amanogawa High try to understand their role in the battles up ahead, and both Ben and Rook have their first meeting with one of the Serpents.**

**To be continued in V-"Push It"**


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